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MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN. 



collections in Natural History, particularly of insects, which 

 later were sent back to Germany and acquired some note. 

 After a time, however, the brothers. Otto and Eduard Fried- 

 erich, purchased plantations, while Lindheimer managed a 

 distillery on the sugar-plantation of Sartorius and Lavater, 

 but after about a month a chance fire destroyed the cane- 

 fields, and the works in consequence had to shut down. 

 Lindheimer then formed a close friendship with a Mr. Griind- 

 ler, who had a coffee plantation not far distant, and the two 

 lived pleasantly for some time in their bachelor quarters on 

 the estate. 



It was about this time that the Texas uprising came and 

 the Mexican papers were filled with bombastic articles against 

 the Americans and the short work Santa Ana, "the Napo- 

 leon of the West," would make of them, when once he should 

 get his army there. Lindheimer was already disgusted with 

 the unsettled conditions of Mexico and the consequent inse- 

 curity of life and property, and convinced of the inherent 

 incapacity of the Latin races to develop a strong and lasting 

 civilization, while his Teutonic blood drew him to his cousins 

 of the North, so after some sixteen months in Mexico, though 

 several good positions were offered him there, he again set 

 out for Vera Cruz and took the first vessel for New Orleans, 

 after refusing a commission in the artillery in the Mexican 

 Army of Invasion, offered by his friend, Colonel Holzinger. 



So crude was the knowledge of the sailing masters of those 

 days that this particular ship was wrecked off Mobile, Ala- 

 bama, while the captain confidently believed he was beating 

 off Matamoros, and Lindheimer was compelled to swim to 

 land. Arriving at Mobile, he enlisted at once in a company 

 of volunteers forming to aid the Texas revolutionists. This 

 company was composed mostly of Irishmen under command 

 of Captain Robertson, and on its arrival in Texas was sta- 

 tioned on Galveston Island, as a kind of coast defense in case 

 Mexico should undertake to land troops at that point. This 

 company was ordered by General Houston to join him, when 

 he was concentrating his army for the battle of San Jacinto, 

 but the battle was begun earlier than was expected and it did 

 not reach him till the day after the battle, April 22, 1836. 



